APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

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1 APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Marta Kosior-Kazberuk 1, Piotr Berkowski 2 1 Bialystok University of Technology (POLAND) 2 Wroclaw University of Technology (POLAND) m.kosior@pb.edu.pl, piotr.berkowski@pwr.wroc.pl Abstract Selected examples of application of multimedia and the Internet techniques in teaching of basic and professional subjects in the field of civil engineering are presented in the paper. The multimedia lectures and classes, together with the transfer of educational materials via Internet, as well as various forms of verification of knowledge and skills of students using teaching platforms have been applied in both universities for many years. The use of computer aided education technologies (for e-teaching and e-learning) should be a supplement to traditional teaching methods based on the direct contact between academic staff and students for full-time studies. However, it can be the basic form of sharing and transferring knowledge for education at part-time studies and for Life Long Learning, substantially assisting the verification process of students skills and competences. Not only the teaching process but also the administration and organization process must be assisted by ICT methods nowadays. The formal procedures enabling realization of such forms of teaching are referred and own experiences and future development and challenges are also presented in the paper. Keywords: civil engineering, internet and multimedia techniques, teaching, learning. 1 INTRODUCTION The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational activities has been carried out at Polish technical universities for many years and, of course, is developed together with technological progress, despite the fact that current national regulations restrict the actual institutions of higher education in distance learning. Among other issues, there is limited number of class hours, which can be carried out using Internet. However, new Law on Higher Education [1] will allow universities for greater flexibility in educational process execution. The universities themselves will be able to decide how many courses and how many hours will be taught and which method - in the traditional way or by Internet. The same rule will be applied to tests, examinations, and final theses presentations. The learning outcomes will be evaluated, rather than techniques through which they were achieved. In particular there will be a new definition of the full-time study introduced: form of studies in which at least half of the curriculum is realized in the form of teaching with direct participation of professors and students. Examples of ICT elements at Wroclaw and Bialystok technical universities are as follows: Internet administrative systems for support the educational process in all aspects, websites of universities, faculties, divisions, staff, and students, e-portals, which support teaching process (websites with materials for courses, lectures broadcast, videoconferencing), educational software, creation of digitized libraries environment. The paper also contains a brief overview of general ICT methods that can be used in the process of higher education. 2 GENERAL RANGE OF APPLIED ICT TECHNIQUES The Faculty of Civil Engineering of Wroclaw University of Technology and the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology have participated in European Civil Proceedings of INTED2011 Conference. 7-9 March 2011, Valencia, Spain ISBN:

2 Engineering and Training (EUCEET) projects for many years. In the research [2], realised within EUCEET II project, the results of survey on use of ICT in civil engineering education across Europe were presented. One of the most important aspects of that survey was the analysis of methods and tools used for learning and teaching supported by ICT. Application of them to education process can be treated similarly as a natural result of development of techniques that supported bridging between digital islands in real building process design (Fig. 1, [3]). Fig. 1. Islands of automation within the building process (after Hannus M. & Sill'en P., VTT, Finland). According to [2] there can be listed the following ICT general tools that add new quality and changes to civil engineering education: Web based communication As , Online Forum, Instant Messaging - e.g. video-conferencing features, web conferencing services, IRC, ICQ; Chat rooms - an online forum offering the possibility to broadcast message exchange online in real time; Webcasting - describes the internet based transmission of television programs. Data bases As a collection of facts, or pieces of knowledge which can be managed, evaluated and searched using a database management system. Typical elements are: Search Engines - software tools developed to find certain information stored on a computer system; Content Catalogues - support the exchange of content or educational material; Galleries - galleries are image data banks. Authorware These are programs mainly used to produce interactive instructional media: to edit and develop multimedia (pictures, animations, simulations or exercises), interactive and dynamic course material and course navigation. Simulations and Gaming Simulations in education can be used to imitate real devices or interactions. Using multimedia computer systems resources a virtual reality that is based on models can be generated which allows free or guided experiments. We can use physical simulation for simulation of a real object which is substituted by a physical object. Virtual simulation creates computer generated virtual environment that is basic too most of the simulations in civil engineering education. Gaming as simulations incorporated into games applied in competitive situation in order to motivate the student. Assessment Tools Assessment tools in ICT are software applications to document or measure knowledge, skills, attitudes and competence of students. There are two main types of assessment. A summative assessment is usually done at the end of a course or project in order to examine student. Formative assessments are carried out during a course giving information on student s learning progress

3 Content Management Systems A content management system provides a simple interface for the users to add or modify existing content material which may be automatically published. It can be used to manage the workflow. Learning Management System This represents a software package combining competency management, skills-gap analysis, succession planning, certifications, virtual live classes, content management, content authoring, and resource allocation. There are commercial (e.g. Blackboard, WebCT) and open source (e.g. Moodle, OLAT) programmed available. In most cases it includes the following elements: Scheduling and Organisation: The syllabus for the courses and administrative information, assessment procedures as well as online display of news and notice boards. Administration: Online student registration, enrolment and tracking. Course Content: Educative material and course content database. Assessment and Accreditation: Evaluation tools. Measurement of Performance: Documentation and statistics of results of utilisation and performance quality. Educational Blogging As common web pages with possibilities to publish, link, comment and chronologically store content. Wiki-projects Based on open-source software and allowing the creation of encyclopaedias by enabling easy editing, linkage and discussion by open source or restricted authors. The curriculum of study in civil engineering and specially the Graduate Program should be kept current by rapid integration of research results into the courses; this should be a responsibility of the instructors and it can be further enhanced with the support of ICT. Presently, most of ICT applications to education, both initial education and lifelong learning, can be characterized as point solutions, targeted to solving a particular problem, e.g., a set of courseware modules for teaching structural analysis/design issues, etc. Reasons for this limited application are technological, system requirements and developmental ones. The WWW is a breakthrough in defining a standard for decoupling information/content and hardware/ software delivery systems. There are ongoing efforts in the direction of Web-based Education. Furthermore, students, instructors, authors and system developers have to work together to ensure a marriage between pedagogy and technology. These groups and individuals could work together to generate, support, use, teach material and meantime provide feedback for its improvement and adjust to the students needs and capabilities. Practically, the Web-based education can minimize the impact and cost of geographical dispersion of researchers, authors, staff and students and advanced instructional and laboratory facilities (for learning-by-doing, virtual laboratory ), while maximizing knowledge transfer to the students [4]. 3 EXAMPLES OF ICT SUPPORTING CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDY 3.1 Description of systems to support educational services At the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology the educational service system has already been implemented (started from the academic year 2006/2007) and at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Wroclaw University of Technology it is currently being implemented, which aims to improve and technologically modernize the organization of educational process. The system fully supports the following processes: recruitment of candidates (allows applicants to track the recruitment process), admission to the chosen field of study, course of study support for students and doctoral students (register for classes, introduction of evaluation procedures, completion of study) and also support for graduates. The system uses modern information technology: wired and wireless internet, , smart-cards to pay for services provided to students, to identify persons on the campus, to control access to network resources and to the classrooms, infokiosks with touch screen and card reader, mobile cells, maintenance-free printing centres. Access to the system is possible form the dedicated stands in the dean's offices and from stands in selected branches of the university administration. Teachers use the individual accounts available through the Internet (Fig. 2), which allow entering evaluations (electronic records), setting test data, realization of tests, communication with students, preparing summaries, monitoring and analysis of learning outcomes

4 Fig. 2. Introduction to staff section in educational service. Students also have individual their accounts for communication with the dean's office, for checking the results of partial and final assessments, and their places in the rankings, to get information about the teaching process, the required payments, etc. The system also includes syllabi of different courses, including subjects description, curriculum, learning outcomes, form of classes, credit terms, names of teachers, number of ECTS credits. Each student and teacher after logging into the system is able to discover all of syllabi subjects taught in all fields of study. In addition to supporting the administrative activities, the system is also an important factor in improving the quality of education, among others by evaluating the classes in university survey as well as by the audit based on information technology, internal and external one. In the system there is available survey on: student opinions - about conducting the lecture and classes by the academic staff, graduate opinions - about the suitability and standard of study and the quality of teaching staff. Surveys are voluntary and anonymous. The system administrator can only conclude that the survey form is completed by a student or graduate without the possibility of looking into the responses. Functioning of the systems supporting the learning/teaching process not only enables the effective management of service during the study, but also the ongoing analysis of indicators of teaching effectiveness, and ongoing analysis of opinions of students, graduates and staff. 3.2 Description of the Distance Education Department of WUT The Distance Education Department (DED) has been created at Wroclaw University of Technology. Its mission is to promote, coordinate and conduct work on the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in education. It includes coverage of the educational process and its participants (teaching staff, students, and course participants). This Department supports the introduction of ICT in education at WUT by offering the following services: development of tests to assess the level of competence of students (e-tests, e-exams), registration and recording of lectures (sound or picture with sound), provision of educational platforms for general use (Figs 3, 4), provision of educational platforms for e-tests and e-exams, distribution of learning content in the form of video conferencing (Fig. 5)

5 Fig. 3. Starting page of e-portal of Distance Education Division of WUT. Fig. 4. E-portal starting page for students. Fig. 5. Starting page of web conferences services of WUT. Other services offered by the DED of WUT are as follows: realization of live TV image with recording and an optional transmission on the Internet, emission of video content on the Internet via Academic TV Web of WUT,

6 training services in the form of organizing and conducting courses and training on the use of tools and techniques for the preparation of multimedia teaching materials, organizing and conducting training on the use of educational platform in teaching practice, substantive consultations concerning the techniques and authoring tools, survey of students opinion using the tools built into Moodle learning platform (in the past, they were used inter alia to assess the degree of relevance of electronic forms of assisted learning, including e-checks). 3.3 Civil engineering curricula at WUT and BUT Based on the general guidelines and standards specified in Act [2], European community project elaborations (e.g. [3]) and also the use of their own educational and scientific achievements, each department of the universities of technology in Poland, disposing appropriate entitlements (staff and facilities) to lead study in the field of civil engineering, were allowed to develop the basic educational programme and add extra contents and subjects which further the knowledge and competency of graduates. Currently first level studies last 7 semesters, 5 of which are joined semesters. During 5 semesters the students gain knowledge and skills defined in the contents of the education included in the standards. In the last two semesters students, apart from some joined classes, build up knowledge in the area of a chosen Bachelor s degree specialization compatible with their interests. At the Faculty of Civil Engineering of WUT students can choose among: Building Engineering, Geotechnics and Hydrotechnics, Civil Engineering. On the Master s Degree studies (3 semesters) the specializations offered are directly connected with research works carried out in the Faculty and demanded by industry as well: Structural Engineering, Building, Technology and Management, Hydrotechnical and Special Building, Roads and Airports, Infrastructure of Rail Transport, Bridge Engineering, Theory of Structures. A similar system is obligatory in the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at the Bialystok University of Technology, and the Master s Degree specializations are directly connected to the demands of the labour market. The description of specializations on the Bachelor s Degree studies: Structural Engineering, Road Construction, Construction and Exploitation of Buildings. Graduates of the 1st level study can choose any specialization from the Master s Degree (2nd level) study: Advanced Structural Engineering, Road Engineering, Construction Engineering. Standard of education in the field of civil engineering (1st level studies) imposes an obligation to implement courses in the field of information technology. Content of training in the field of information technology should be at least properly selected subset of the information contained in the modules required to obtain the European Certificate of Computer Skills (ECDL - European Computer Driving Licence). The profile of civil engineering graduate implies, among other things, obtaining appropriate ICT skills and practice in the broad use of information technology in the design and implementation of various construction projects. Completion of the objectives of education process requires proper elaboration of curricula and programs of intensive training as well as the support of educational activities by ICT

7 3.4 Courses supported by ICT in WUT and BUT At the Civil Engineering Faculty of the Wroclaw University of Technology (WUT) and Bialystok University of Technology (BUT) majority of courses is realized using basic ICT support, as for example Power Point presentations not only for giving lectures (Fig. 6) but also to produce online content at e- portals or at own lecturers web sites. Fig. 6. Examples of lectures prepared with presentation tool. The so-called UniVirt project ([6]) an educational platform based on Moodle application started at the Wroclaw University of Technology some years ago (Fig. 7). Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a free web application that instructors can use to create effective online learning sites. Currently it is mainly used to give students free access to teaching materials (lectures, problems to be solved etc. Fig. 8) and to realize on-line tests and examinations (Fig. 9). The following basic and specialised courses are placed on that platform. However, till now, some of them are presented partially, only for verification of students knowledge and competences: Algebra and analytical geometry Mathematical analysis Natural environment of human being Information technology Computer aided design Industrial building Building physics Construction technology. Selected examples of effective on-line tools are presented in Figs

8 Fig. 7. Starting page of Information Technology course on UniVirt2 platform. Fig. 8. Page with problems to be solved by student - Information Technology course on UniVirt platform

9 Fig. 9. Page of Algebra course with on-line learning material UniVirt platform (Theory of conical curves [6]). Compulsory courses implemented at the civil engineering study at BUT can be divided into two groups: the courses needing the use of ICT for realization and courses assisted with ICT. The first group includes: Computer basics Technical drawing and engineering graphics Computational methods Economics of investment and costing basics Diagnosis and economic efficiency of buildings modernization Computer aided design Computer methods in structural analysis Computer methods in road design Computer methods in building technology Finance and accounting of construction enterprise. Achieving the learning outcomes of these courses requires the realization of classes (specialized laboratories and workshops) with the practical use of engineering software. The preparation of the study (solving of engineering problem) using this software is necessary to pass the classes. The rest of courses belong to the other group. 4 CONCLUSIONS The process of introducing the support of ICT to the learning process: e-learning, e-teaching or b- learning, which are becoming increasingly popular, requires many various and time-consuming activities, well-defined in [8], such as: adapting curricula to new forms of knowledge transfer, preparing the instructional materials in a new form, quantity and quality, preparing e-teachers, reorganization of the verification procedures of students knowledge and skills, organizing the team creating a unified online platform for the entire university, which will manage this platform and where materials prepared by teachers will be placed (in case of WUT the Distance Education Department is predisposed to realize this task) formal consideration of this form of education in accounting for the burden of teaching staff,

10 modification of obligatory curriculum content (curriculum standards) with implementation of National Qualification Frameworks, but not its total elimination, modification of definition of minimum staffing, introduction of a uniform system of administrative services for students. At both faculties and universities various activities aimed at dissemination of learning supported by multimedia technologies and the Internet are carried out. An important stage of this work is to seek to consolidate existing isolated elements (ICT islands) in a certain uniform systems, which support both the administrative and pure processes of teaching, and also scientific exchange (conferences etc). It should be emphasized that effective management and organization of the educational process requires support of ICT methods. However, it seems that e-learning and e-teaching, although very seriously and effectively influencing the availability of knowledge, should be the elements supporting the traditional way of education, based on direct teacher-student contact. Thus, it seems that the best solution is so-called blended learning (b- learning). E-learning makes it possible to increase the amount of material transferred to students, it stimulates the self-study, but classical teaching allows for direct teacher student contact and improving the quality of instructors. The Web-based learning cannot and should not replace the face-to-face interaction of instructors and students. It could be a supplement (obligatory now), but not a replacement. REFERENCES [1] Polish Law for Higher Education. Official Gazette, no. 164, item 1365, July 27 th 2005 (with changes). [2] van Kuijen K., Bunjak J., Reinecke R., ICT in civil engineering education. Inquiries into European Higher Education in Civil Engineering. LLL Erasmus Thematic Network Project. Sixth EUCEET volume. Ed. Iacint Manoliu. Independent Film, Bucharest, Romania, 2006, pp [3] Christiansson P., "ICT supported learning prospects". ITcon Special Issue ICT Supported Learning in Architecture and Civil Engineering, Vol. 9, December 2004, [4] Angelides D.C., From the present to the future of civil engineering education in Europe: a strategic approach. 1st International Meeting in Civil Engineering Education, Ciudad Real, Spain, [5] Majewski St., Studies and recommendations on core curricula for civil engineering. Inquiries into European Higher Education in Civil Engineering. LLL Erasmus Thematic Network Project. Fifth EUCEET volume. Ed. Iacint Manoliu. Independent Film, Bucharest, Romania, 2006, pp [6] Janczura A. T., Model of education via Internet for selected basic and special courses. Seminar on New media in education, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, 2005, pp (in Polish). [7] Kajetanowicz, P. Wierzejewski, J., E-learning in College Mathematics an Online Course in Algebra with Automatic Knowledge Assessment, 6th International Conference Virtual University, Bratislava, , E-Academia Slovaca, pp [8] Mischke J. M., Stanisławska A. K., B-learning: to educate complementary - what are the consequences and what is connected with it?. Academia On-line, vol. 2, WSH Lodz, pp (in Polish)